[Northern Light]

This is a series of store fronts along Queen East, just west of Lee Avenue in Toronto's Beach community.

Most of these are or have been vacant for an extended period of time, much to the consternation of the locals.

Also included is the very popular, long-time institution of the Beach, the Foodland supermarket. (IGA for many years)

There is now movement in the form of Bousfields registering to lobby on this block on behalf of Crombie REIT.

Streetview as is:

The Foodland:

Aerial Pic:

Site size: ~2000m2 or about 22,000ft2

Large enough to sustain a range of options; though I would expect a midrise proposal here. In general, the Beach is under a 6s height limit.

Further Comment:

This is the Beach, pushback is to be expected. The Foodland will be a controversial element here The two buildings to the west are unremarkable, the Foodland building isn't all that special either, but it is well liked and the mural on the building
side is quite popular as well.

A replacement supermarket would be an expectation.

I would also imagine a requirement for sidewalk widening and managing loading could be interesting.

 

[Northern Light]

A new registration from Bousfields on this site, still for Crombie.

The language used is a bit atypical....

There's also an entry with the more conventional language for 'Planning and Development application'

 

[AlbertC]

Redevelopment here would be welcomed. The Beaches area retail scene has been stagnant for years, with your periodic report in local news every so often of locals trying to raise awareness of the amount of vacant store fronts. A midrise here bringing an influx of new residents would do the area good.

 

[Northern Light]

Redevelopment here would be welcomed. The Beaches area retail scene has been stagnant for years, with your periodic report in local news every so often of locals trying to raise awareness of the amount of vacant store fronts. A midrise here bringing an influx of new residents would do the area good.

Broadly, I agree, but I would add, the Foodland in this block (previously IGA for a generation or two} is a very busy staple business.

The area will be royally upset if they go out of business.

 

[Northern Light]

As I first noted here 11 months ago.......change is afoot here.

The proposal for this site is now public; and is filed with the City (though not yet public-facing through the AIC). But many of the Docs are on the project website.

Media Article:

Proposal for northwest corner of Queen and Lee calls for six-storey residential building and new, larger grocery store – Beach Metro Community News

By ALAN SHACKLETON A proposal to build a six-storey residential building at an iconic corner on Queen Street East in the Beach has captured the attention

beachmetro.com

Project Website:

2040 Queen East

Redevelopment of 2040 Queen East

2040queeneast.ca

Key points:

6 storeys, 60 units, and a supermarket will return as the ground floor tenant.

Render:

From the Planning and Urban Design Report:

Current site:

Site Plan:

From the Arch. Docs

Ground Floor Plan:

Elevator Ratio: ? (not clearly delineated, but if a minimum of 2 are provided, which would be normal, it would be one per 30 units).

Parking Ratio: 0.55

Comments: It's RAW. From an aesthetic perspective, a bit more nod to the past would be good here. A traditional signage band above the ground floor retail would make the proposal 'fit' better. The miniature inset balconies on the 2nd and 3 floors not only look foolish, but are entirely non-functional as spaces. Keeping the illusion of 3 floors facing Queen makes sense, but strict adherence to the Queen-facing angular plane does not. One set back above the 3rd floor would make more sense. You've actually got some unit where the terrace/balcony is comparable to, or maybe even larger than the unit itself. The angling makes some sense on the northern side as it reduces the impact on SFH to the north, on the Queen side, it serves no obvious benefit to me. The current mural is much beloved in the community, and replicating it in some fashion, perhaps at a smaller scale or on the laneway-facing side would make sense. The buildings here don't possess much, if any, remarkable heritage, but the current supermarket does have a tin ceiling that is interesting, and might be worth of replication.

The commitment to return a supermarket to the site was essential. Very curious however, is that they did not commit to returning a Foodland, but rather one of the Sobey;s banners. That suggests that either Farm Boy or a Longo's market is under consideration. I think that would be the wrong choice here, the current location carries a range of products not found in the above banners due to operator independence that would be lost with a banner switch.

Finally, the streetscape recieves some favourble attention with net new street trees, in pits, with grates, and adequate soil volumes, along with slightly wider Queen Street sidewalks. Silva Cells are in use for the Lee Avenue side; less clear in respect of the Queen frontage.

@Paclo is duly flagged

 

[flonicky]

 

[TwinHuey]

April 1

 

[Northern Light]

Docs have been submitted here:

Application Details

www.toronto.ca

@Paclo

Stats and Renders appear unchanged from Pre-Application.

 

[AlbertC]

City receives development proposal for Queen and Lee site in the Beach; community consultation meeting expected in September – Beach Metro Community News

By AMARACHI AMADIKE The City of Toronto has received the development proposal for a six-storey mixed-use building at 2026, 2028, 2030, 2032-2038 and 2040

beachmetro.com

With the development application in its early stages, a community consultation has not yet been scheduled by Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford. However, residents can expect a meeting early in September, he told Beach Metro Community News this week.

“Beachers take a lot of pride in their community and I look forward to hearing what local residents have to say about this application,” said Bradford.

A community consultation meeting for this project is expected to draw much public attention due to the project’s high-profile location.

As described by longtime Beacher and community historian Gene Domagala in a Beach Metro column this past May, “the corner of Queen and Lee is the historic heart of the Kew Beach area and possibly the entire Beach community.”

Bradford told Beach Metro Community News that grocery stores are also a “valuable asset to the neighbourhood” and his constituents will want to ensure that they are maintained “in the long term” considering the present Foodland store, located on the site, will be demolished.

“I also expect a lot of discussion about the addition of badly-needed housing options, and how this proposal aligns with the Urban Design Guidelines,” he said.

According to the Queen Street East Urban Design Guidelines (UDG), any proposal along Queen Street East between Coxwell Avenue and Nursewood Road is prohibited from exceeding the six-storey limit along with many other regulations that are specific to the Beach.

Bradford said that the guidelines will play a major role in determining the City of Toronto’s decision on Crombie REIT’s proposal.

“I’m looking forward to hearing this feedback from the community and I’m committed to working with the applicant and City Planning to ensure it is taken into account,” said Bradford.

 

[AlbertC]

Community Consultation Meeting for six-storey building proposal at Queen and Lee to take place virtually on Sept. 16 – Beach Metro Community News

By AMARACHI AMADIKE The City of Toronto is gearing up to host a Community Consultation Meeting for a development proposal at 2026-2040 Queen St. E. on Monday, Sept. 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The developer, Crombie REIT and Sobeys Inc., proposes the demolition of the two-storey mixed-use...

beachmetro.com

The City of Toronto is gearing up to host a Community Consultation Meeting for a development proposal at 2026-2040 Queen St. E. on Monday, Sept. 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The developer, Crombie REIT and Sobeys Inc., proposes the demolition of the two-storey mixed-use building located at the northwest corner of Queen Street East and Lee Avenue. The building is presently home to the Foodland grocery store and the development site includes buildings to the west of it as well.

If approved, it will be replaced with a six-storey, 5,728-square-metre building which will bring 60 residential dwelling units to the neighbourhood. These include 40 one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom units, and six three-bedroom units.

There will also be 1,140 square metres reserved as a retail space that will front Queen Street East as well as 33 vehicular parking spaces. It is expected that the building’s retail space will contain a much larger grocery store than the current Foodland, though it is not known which of the Sobeys’ grocery store banners it will operate under.

In an earlier story on this proposal, the applicant’s website said the tenure of the residential units “will likely be condominium” but that will be “determined later in the process.” The applicant’s website also said: “Affordable units aren’t required on a site of this size, and none are proposed at this time.”

Although there has been much anticipation surrounding the consultation meeting, as it stands, community consultation surrounding this site will only take place virtually as no in-person meetings have been scheduled.

With the project’s site sitting in a part of the Beach that boasts importance to many in the community, it is expected there will be opposition from some residents who want to keep the neighbourhood’s history intact even though the buildings proposed to be demolished are not protected under heritage rights.

According to officials, the virtual meeting is due to the fact that many Toronto residents have expressed a preference for virtual meetings in order to “facilitate easier participation”.

During a series of public consultations hosted across Toronto earlier this year with the aim of figuring out how to best facilitate future meetings, the City of Toronto found that although many residents prefer in-person interactions with city staff, attributes such as time-saving and flexibility have made online meetings a preference for a large number of constituents.

“In a recent city staff report, staff noted the results of a recent survey regarding community consultation and found that “virtual consultation may help the City manage its timeline and how much staff and applicant effort is required,” read a statement from Councillor Brad Bradford’s office.

“This is why it has been the preferred option of City Planning for the vast majority of applications across the city – and City Planning handles the logistics and arrangements for all of these consultation sessions.”

Anyone who would like to share their opinions on the development is encouraged to join the virtual meeting via a link that will be provided at https://www.toronto.ca/community-pe...ic-consultations/city-planning-consultations/

There will also be an opportunity to join by calling 416-915-6530 and entering the meeting code 2630 406 2991.

For more information on this development, contact City Planner Raymond Tung at raymond.tung@toronto.ca, or Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford at councillor_bradford@toronto.ca

 

[AlbertC]

Beach Metro with a follow up article after the community consultation meeting:

Lack of parking a major concern raised by residents at consultation meeting on development plans for Queen and Lee – Beach Metro Community News

By AMARACHI AMADIKE The City of Toronto hosted a virtual Community Consultation Meeting for a development proposal at 2026-2040 Queen St. E. (northwest corner of Queen Street East and Lee Avenue) on the evening of Monday, Sept. 16. In attendance at the meeting were Beaches-East York Councillor...

beachmetro.com

 

[T-Bor]

I 'went' to this event, and I was surprised to find out that for anyone who buys one of units, it will be written into their contract that they cannot get street parking. Has anyone else ever heard of this on other buildings?

I get it for downtown, but I'm surprised it was the case in the east end

But yes, the same question around parking was asked and answered about 5 times.

 

[torontologist]

I 'went' to this event, and I was surprised to find out that for anyone who buys one of units, it will be written into their contract that they cannot get street parking. Has anyone else ever heard of this on other buildings?

I get it for downtown, but I'm surprised it was the case in the east end

But yes, the same question around parking was asked and answered about 5 times.

I hope the "revocation" of parking rights only lasts like, say, the first five years of residence. They should probably have an equal shot at street parking after that.

Lol, this city love to create entitlements. And it's almost always in favour of established people at the expense of others.

 

[Northern Light]

I 'went' to this event, and I was surprised to find out that for anyone who buys one of units, it will be written into their contract that they cannot get street parking. Has anyone else ever heard of this on other buildings?

I get it for downtown, but I'm surprised it was the case in the east end

But yes, the same question around parking was asked and answered about 5 times.

To clarify here, the developer cannot legally preclude someone from getting permit parking.

What they are doing is providing notice to prospective owners that the City will not provide them permit parking.

The City routinely excludes new developments from being eligible for permit parking, its very common.

****

The answer to this, of course is actually raising the price permit parking to fair market value.

Most permits (first car/permit and you don't have any spot to park on your property) is $22.19 per month.

That is less than 1/3 of what the typical tenant will pay for parking outside the core.

If you need to rent an off-site parking spot downtown, you need to be prepared to shell out anywhere from $100-$250 per month.

That the City gives these away is insane.

.Parking for .74c per day........pfft no wonder demand exceeds supply.

Charge $2.50 per day or $75 per month for that entry level permit, and $125 a month for those who have a spot on their property or are getting a second permit, and watch demand drop by 25% and lots of spaces become available for those who want them.

 

[NY99]

Quite frustrated by the proposal's retail component. Reducing 7 or so small units into one huge unit is a great way to destroy the granularity of the area and deaden the block -- regardless of how beautiful the ground-floor treatment is (which I find super tasteful). This seems to be a very common theme with "avenue"-facing midrises -- replacing a diverse range of retail uses by a handful of big-box units -- it strikes me as contrary to the goals of a 15-minute city.